Baby weight and height varies from baby to baby. Your health visitor or doctor will regularly measure the growth of your baby. Still, when your baby is born you will want to know how they compare to other babies.
In this article about the growth of your baby, we’ll cover baby weight and height. We’ll also look at what average weights and heights for babies are. We have some amazing eye-watering facts at the end.
If you were looking for baby milestones you can read our article Baby growth: 28 amazing baby milestones.
Average baby weight at birth
The average newborn weight for boys and girls is 7.5lbs (3.40kgs). Fifty per cent of newborns weigh between 5lb (2.26kgs) and 8lb (3.62kgs). However, newborn boys tend to be slightly heavier than newborn girls. The difference is only by about 0.2lbs (3.2oz) though.
How much weight should a baby gain each month?
Often babies tend to lose weight after birth. They’ll lose on average 8% of their birth weight. This is about 9 or 10oz for an average (7.5lb) baby. It is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. They’ll regain their weight or be above their birth weight at 2 weeks.
After this, your baby will gain between 4 and 7 ounces per week. The gain works out to 1 or 2lbs per month. This increase in weight continues for the first 4 to 6 months. Up to 9 months the increase is the fastest but reduces as they become a toddler. The slow down is because toddlers become more active.
Babies that are breastfed gain less weight than formula-fed babies. This difference in weight gain is easily explained. It has been found that parents that bottle-feed formula, feed their babies more. This happens because parents make their baby finish the whole bottle.
Opposed to mothers that breastfeed. Breastfeeding mothers let their babies finish when they have had enough. Furthermore, Formula contains more calories than breast milk.
Be aware, you cannot use bathroom scales to weigh your baby. This is because normal scales are neither calibrated nor sensitive enough to weigh a baby.
Average baby weight and height/ length for babies
The tables below show the average baby weight and height for their age up to 12 months. We made these tables as it makes easier reading than the centile charts. You can download and print those off below. Remember these are only averages and your baby may fall two or three pounds/cm on either side of these figures.
Fifty percent of babies fall within the 25th and 75th centiles in the charts. Always talk to your health visitor or doctor if you are concerened about your baby’s weight.
Baby girl and baby boy growth charts
Here are the WHO Baby growth charts for boys and girls. These charts cover your babies weight, height/ length and head circumference. You can find out where your baby lies on the centile charts from birth to 4 years old. These are the same charts as in the Redbook.
You may want to download and print them and add them to a keepsake book. Remember you can download the eRedbook to keep your baby’s details in. Click or tap the images to download.
Some amazing baby weight and height facts
The Heaviest baby
According to Guinness World Records, the heaviest baby to be born was to Sig. Carmelina Fedele at Aversa, Italy in September 1955. She had a boy who weighed in at an eye-watering 22 lb 8 oz (10.2 kg).
For reference that’s over three times the weight of an average baby boy born in the UK today. Or just over the combined weight of 23 large lattes at Costa.
The longest baby
‘Babe’ is the record holder as the longest baby ever born. He was born in Canada on 19th January 1879. ‘Babe’ died 11 hours after being born. He was never given an actual name.
When ‘Babe’ was born, he measured 2ft 4 in (71.12cm). He weighed in at 22lbs (9.98kg). His mother was Anna Bates who was pretty tall too, she was a towering 7ft 11in (241.3cm). ‘Babe’ was born at her home in Ohio, USA.
The heaviest babies born in the UK
The heaviest baby ever born in the UK was 15lb 8oz Guy Carr, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in 1992. Guy was delivered by Caesarean section.
The heaviest baby born naturally in the UK was on 11th February 2013 to Jade Packer. Her baby George weighed in at 15lbs 7oz. He was born at Gloucester Royal Infirmary and was 2 weeks late.
Speaking about the birth Jade said ‘It wasn’t very dignified’. ‘I vaguely remember having my legs up near my head and loads of people trying to pull and push him out. There were about 20 people in the room all helping and rushing about.’
The Heaviest girl at birth was born to Elaine Martin and Sean O’Halloran in 2012. Niamh was near twice the average, weighing in at 14lb 4oz. Her birth weight was even off the scale for the charts in the redbook.
You may want to read our article Baby growth: 28 amazing baby milestones next.
Be the first to comment